MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The assigned Judge at the Civil Law Court is recommending to the National Legislature and the President the passage of an act sub-dividing the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court into three divisions, in the interest of speedy administration of justice.
Judge George Smith named Civil Assize Court ‘A’, with jurisdiction over ejectment and property-related cases, and Civil Law Court ‘B’, with the jurisdiction over actions of damages, equity suites, actions for declaratory judgment, and other special proceedings.
Civil Law Court ‘C’, a family court with jurisdictions over actions of divorce and other family-related issues more time to be devoted to dealing with the highly emotional and time-consuming issues involving family matters.
Judge Smith disclosed that on the court’s docket, the number of divorces and family-related cases is 485, and the number of property cases, like ejectment, is 483, with each of these three categories of cases exceeding the total number of cases on the docket.
The very high increase in the population of Montserrado County, and the corresponding increase in the number of civil cases have necessitated the need for statutory subdivision of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court to respond to the increase in the court’s overcrowded docket.
Judge Smith made the remarks on Monday, March 17, 2025, at the opening of the Civil Law Court for its March Term at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
In a related development, Judge Roosevelt Willie has disbanded the trial jurors selected to listen to the alleged corruption case involving five former government officials.
The jurors’ disbandment resulted from the issuance of an Alternative Writ of Prohibition, which prohibited Judge Willie from hearing the case until the Bench decided.
One of the jurors and a Bailiff fell ill while being sequestrated at the jurors’ quarters at the Temple of Justice, where they are usually kept when selected.
Cllr. Arthur Johnson, one of the defense lawyers, has since argued that the former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and others are immune from criminal prosecution under Article 81 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, on grounds that they acted under the instructions of former President George Weah and the National Security Council.
